An Early Night
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: A teen aged Tony decides to wander far from home, but his father does not appreciate his decision. This is part of my Fate series.
1. Deceptive Behaviour

Deceptive Behaviour

NCIS Agent Jethro Gibbs was sweeping up sawdust from the basement floor of his home when he heard the kitchen door close upstairs, and the sound of his son's footsteps approaching the basement stairs.

"Dad," Tony called into the basement's depths, "I'm home. Good night-" His footsteps started back towards the kitchen.

Surprised, Gibbs called out, "Tony! Come here a second." Tony's face appeared at the top of the stairs, and he scrunched himself to a crouch on the landing so that his father could see him. "Is everything ok?" Jethro studied Tony's face, but saw nothing really wrong in his expression.

"No, no sir, I just..." Tony stammered out a reply. "I just decided to make it an early night. I thought you'd be proud of me for making curfew." The last statement was designed to throw his dad on the defensive, and it worked.

"Of course I'm glad, " Jethro responded. "You usually slide in at 12:59 and keep yourself out of trouble by the skin of your teeth. But it's only..." Jethro consulted his watch, "it's only 11:45, so you had a little over an hour left to stay out and have fun."

"Right, well I guess I'm just tired from the week. I'm heading on to bed, ok Dad?"

"Yes, of course. Get to bed, and I am really pleased that you aren't in trouble with your poor dad over your curfew for a change. Night, night," Gibbs grinned.

"Night," was the response, and Jethro heard Tony's footsteps fade as he made his way upstairs to his room. Still holding the broom, Jethro puzzled over Tony's behaviour as he finished the last of the sweeping. Tony was always just a breath away from breaking curfew, and the fact that he had not only made it, but was an hour early, was noteworthy- and suspicious. Tonight he'd said he was going out with his current girlfriend and another couple to a movie and the mall, not necessarily in that order. Jethro wondered if Tony and Carrie, his love interest this week, had gotten into an argument.

Finishing his clean up he headed upstairs, stretching and moving his arms to try and remove some of the muscle kinks. He decided to get ready for bed himself. Reaching the floor with the bedrooms he eased Tony's door open gently so as not to wake him. He crossed the room and found Tony sprawled across the bed sideways, covers fallen and scattered on the floor. His father fixed the bedding as best as he could, noting that Tony hadn't bothered to put on night clothes and had gone to sleep in nothing but his boxers. He'd get cold later without the protection of the sheets and blankets. Brushing back his son's bangs, he kissed his forehead and slipped out of the room.

The next morning Tony awoke slowly and leisurely, smiling at the luxury of realizing it was not a school day, but the events of the night before came back to him, as well, and he sobered quickly. Despite explicit instructions from his father that he was not to ever, ever go to a location more than ten miles from his home when out, he and Dylan, his best friend, had decided a trip to Baltimore was long overdue. Only thirty miles or so from where they lived in Washington, DC, they agreed that they should be able to visit the city and travel there and back well within their curfew parameters. The girls, once a better, more exciting time than had originally been planned was dangled in front of them, were equally as excited to accommodate their dates in the change of location.

So the four teens took off in Tony's car. Dylan had programmed a restaurant his older brother had recommended into the navigation system, and the two couples were off and running. The restaurant, famous for its fresh seafood dishes, turned out to be fantastic, and they all agreed to just spend the remainder of their time there, enjoying the view from the balcony and the ambience of the setting. Tony was delighted, and spent his free time talking Carrie into one passionate kiss after another. She was enticing, and Tony was enchanted with her.

All good things must come to an end, though. Dylan's date, Amber, had a curfew at midnight, which was an hour earlier than the other three. The girls headed to the restroom, chattering about how much they loved the place, and the boys strolled slowly to Tony's car, clapping each other on the back for the brilliant idea of a gorgeous, glorious change of venue. Rounding the corner of the restaurant, Tony and Dylan ran right smack into NCIS Director (and boss to one Jethro Gibbs), Leon Vance, out for a date night with his wife, Jackie!

Tony froze, but tried to recover his equilibrium and his composure post haste when it was obvious that the Vances clearly recognized him. He replied politely to their inquiries about his school and sports activities in a steady voice, willing himself to act normally. He was at his most charming, but was very, very relieved to see the girls approach at last. After rushed introductions, he quickly excused himself, telling the Vances the four all had to get home before curfew.

Director Vance nodded sagely, and offered, "Don't speed on the way home. I know your dad, and if you get a ticket, you won't be driving anymore." Tony laughed politely and propelled the group to the car, waving good bye to the unwelcome encounters.

Once the girls were returned to the sanctuary of their homes Tony and Dylan began to lament the unexpected run in with Vance. Tony was very clear about the repercussions of disobeying his former Marine father, and Dylan's dad, who was active military, would respond in kind. Tony mentally ran through the possible consequences of his night, if discovered, and groaned out loud.

"My dad is going to see this _Ferris Bueller_ escapade as a major violation of trust."

"Cheer up, "Dylan attempted to make them both feel better. "There is no reason to think Director Vance will even mention he saw you."

Tony brightened a little at the thought and added, "This is Friday night. By Monday if he sees Dad at headquarters he'll probably have forgotten. I think it would be smart if we just went on home early and pretended to have actually had a mature thought about obeying our curfews."

"See?" Dylan reinforced his hope, "all's well that ends well."

Tony dropped Dylan off a few minutes later and turned the car towards home. His father was like a human truth detector- after all, he was an interrogator for a government agency! If his father saw his face it would surely give away his guilt. Worse yet, if his father got close to him, he'd surely hear Tony's heart pounding with the fear of being discovered. His best bet was to just convince his dad that he needed an early night.


	2. Staying Afloat

Staying Afloat

Forcing himself to leave the refuge of his bed the following morning, Tony's mind continued to churn as he showered and dressed. His dad would be furious if he found out Tony had gone to Baltimore. He'd take away the car. He'd ground him for weeks- or months. He'd probably get his butt beaten, too, though it had been quite a while since his dad had responded with corporal punishment. Those would just be the possible responses for driving to Baltimore. There would be a whole other gamut of consequences for lying about his plans, both before he left the house last night, and when he returned- tacked on for good measure.

For a moment Tony contemplated just approaching his dad and telling him the truth about the previous evening. He could throw himself on his dad's mercy, like criminals did in courtrooms, throwing themselves on the mercy of the court. He had a mental picture of his dad's belt and of having his car parked for weeks while he was forced to bum rides or walk. Neither response looked appealing, so he quickly nixed that plan.

Suddenly he brightened. Jethro wasn't going to be at NCIS Monday and Tuesday. He had mentioned that he had a training at FBI headquarters at supper Thursday night, so by the time he returned to NCIS on Wednesday, Vance would have long forgotten the encounter. He was safe! Tony laughed out loud. Just for good measure he would be a model son so that his dad would be confronted with all of his good qualities, and wouldn't even think about the questionable ones!

Running lightly from his room he jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his dad was sipping coffee and reading the Washington paper. Jethro pointed him to a plate of French toast he'd made for him and Tony sat down to breakfast. It was Saturday, a day for errands and according to his dad, yard work.

"You can have the rest of the afternoon if you finish trimming that Japanese cherry tree and the hedges before lunch, " Jethro offered, smiling at Tony's obvious pleasure. "What do you have planned?"

"Actually, "Tony answered thoughtfully, "I thought I would get some studying done this afternoon. I have two tests next week, and I want to do well on both of them. There's also a project in World History I need to start researching."

"You are skipping out on an afternoon of fun to study?" Jethro was shocked.

"Yes sir!" Tony reinforced his answer with action by standing up and stretching.

Jethro nodded and left Tony to clean up the breakfast dishes while he headed outside to do the yard work he had planned for himself . Tony's friend Dylan and his family were true Southerners, and Tony's speech reflected several Southern expressions he'd learned in the years he'd been involved with the family, such as the inclusion of ma'am and sir and y'all. Jethro smiled to himself. Tony was such a chameleon that he fit in wherever he went. His normal speech included British expressions garnered from the Scottish Dr. Ducky Mallard and Ducky's mother, the Southern ones of Dylan's family, the Spanish he had learned from Abuela, their housekeeper, and military lingo learned from his daddy.

The rest of the weekend passed quietly, as did the school week itself. Tony did well on his biology test, and made sure that he showed the A to his father. Tony viewed it as clever strategy to bank up kudos with his dad. It worked, and Tony actually felt a twinge of guilt that he'd gotten the great mark with his own ulterior motive. A high B in Algebra followed, and Gibbs was both stunned and delighted. Tony was extremely intelligent, but his normal modus operandi was to devote as little time to academics as possible. It was only with threats and restrictions that Gibbs managed to force Tony to bring home a's and b's each grading period.

As the days progressed, Tony began to relax, and he and Dylan decided that Vance was so focused on getting his wife alone and away from their kids that he didn't even remember running into them. They spent some time Thursday morning trashing Vance as they skipped their Language Arts class and communed at McDonald's.

Gibbs was so impressed with Tony's obvious mature change of behaviour of late that by the end of the spectacular week he was contemplating some type of reward for his progeny. That is, he toyed with incentives until he and Director Vance bumped into each other at the elevator to the parking deck Friday morning. Once Vance had expressed Jackie's pleasure at seeing Tony again, plus conveyed her compliments for his child's gracious manners, and Gibbs had finally gotten to the source of the meeting, he was furious. Visions of Tony and his buddies dead by the beltway, and of the four being mugged and in danger ran through his mind. He put the mental brakes on speculating on what could have happened- that was not constructive at the moment.

Back at his desk, the events of the past week played out in his head, and Tony's uncharacteristic behaviour fell into place like the little lego building blocks he'd loved as a child. He picked up the phone. Tony would be in class, but he left a message on Tony's voicemail to cancel any Friday night plans, because they were to have a family night instead.


	3. Day of Reckoning

Day of Reckoning

Tony had such a great day at school that his defenses were down when he listened to his dad's message on his drive home from school. Carrie was with him, and he pulled over to express his disappointment that they couldn't go out later, but began to show her his remorse, as he claimed, by drawing her into some passionate kissing. When they finally parted, he told her about his grandfather's upcoming visit in a few days, and reasoned that his dad had decided they had to get the house ready for the visit early. Entering the house a few minutes later, he sang Frank Sinatra melodies as he worked his way through the kitchen, then the living room, then upstairs to drop his bookbag. Changing clothes quickly and wiping telltale signs of Carrie's lip gloss off of his face and mouth, he fixed himself a snack and headed outside to practice free throws at the basketball goal in the back yard.

An hour later when Jethro returned from work Tony was physically tired, satisfied at his basketball score, and hungry. Greeting his dad happily and noting the bag of Chinese take out, Tony jogged inside for a quick shower. The interlude gave his father time to gather his thoughts. It was sometimes difficult for him to be the law to his son, year after year, and to discipline him, over and over, despite what Tony thought. It would be so much easier to fall into the role of permissive parent, and to allow Tony far more freedom. Life would be much quieter, and definitely easier. However, his Marine training and his own childhood upbringing had drilled into him that the best parent was the one who did discipline, disciplined consistently and with love, and who gave his child the security of boundaries.

Tony bounced down the stairs a few minutes later, and Jethro grinned as Tony slung his head from side to side in an effort to dry his hair. Helping themselves to the containers of food, Tony kept the conversation flowing with a narration of his school day. Finally, taking a breath, he asked curiously, "So what's up, Dad? Did you want us to go ahead and get the room ready for Grandpa tonight? I though he wasn't going to get here until Tuesday. If we get through, then I can take Carrie out tomorrow, 'cause I had to cancel tonight."

Jethro took a breath before he replied and said softly, "Actually, no, that wasn't the reason. Tony, look at me."

Tony obeyed instantly and Jethro was taken aback at the beauty of Tony's green eyes, a gift inherited from his late mother.

"Dad?" Something didn't feel like the conversation was going to focus on Grandpa. Tony licked his lips nervously.

"Tony, I had an interesting conversation today with Director Vance..." Jethro saw the very instant Tony realized that he was busted, but he continued, "and he told me how impressed he and his wife were with you last Friday in Baltimore." Tony's eyes dropped and he sucked in his breath as his stomach began to flip flop. His father, as he spoke, was feeling his anger stir. "So now that I've passed on their greetings, I want to know what you think."

Without thinking, Tony snapped nastily, "I think that Director Vance needs to get a life and stay out of mine."

"Don't get smartmouthed again, or you are going to regret it," the simmering father ordered. "The question was, what is your take on this?"

"Yes sir, I'm not trying to be disrespectful." Tony slumped in his chair and thought a second before he answered honestly, meeting his dad's gaze. "I think that my record for no spanking in nine months is about to be broken- that's what's running through my head right now."

"Was there something- anything- in the rules you've been given by me that made the part about staying within a ten mile radius ambiguous? Did we not discuss the distance, and the reasons for the rules, and the fact that I expected you to obey?" queried his dad.

"No sir," Tony mumbled, getting that familiar feeling in his stomach that signalled worse trouble ahead.

Tony slumped backwards in his chair while Jethro leaned forward in his.

"So, despite clear and consistent rules about your activities away from home, you decided to voluntarily disobey me? Not only did you disobey, but you took a carload of people- teenagers- with you." Jethro's voice had risen with that last mental picture, and seeing Tony's head drop, he commanded, "Look up and answer me, Anthony!"

"Dad, we just wanted to go somewhere different, that's all. Don't you know how boring it gets to go to the same places over and over? I mean, what is there to do in Washington if you're sixteen years old? It's just a place for old people or little kids! You know, I never said I wanted to live here. You just chose the place and we've never even lived anywhere else." As Tony replied, his courage began to stage a comeback and he kept speaking with a thought in the back of his mind that his father might just understand his rationale and would swing over to his side of the argument.

"We didn't have any problems there or back- I didn't speed, I drove carefully, and nothing at all bad happened. Everyone even got home early, 'cause all we did was just eat dinner, Dad. Really, we were models of how to act when you eat at a nice place. You would have been proud of me."

"You don't see the problem?" Jethro asked softly, causing Tony to stammer in reply.

"No, I know that I did break one rule, but it was just one rule- not that big a deal. I think you're overreacting about the whole thing. Nothing bad happened, Dad, don't you see?"

Gibbs didn't answer for several moments. Finally, pushing his chair away from the table he instructed, "Clean up here and then go to your room and stay there. I'll be up in a few minutes."

Tony's stomach knotted, but he nodded in understanding and watched nervously as his dad descended the steps to the basement with a full cup of coffee. He could almost guarantee that he was going to get a whipping now. Otherwise, Jethro wouldn't have told him to go to his room. He mentally berated himself for bringing up the long respite when his butt had not been subject to the wrath of his father. He probably had popped the butt-beating idea front and centre into his dad's arsenal of punishments.

An hour later, a calmer Jethro picked up his empty coffee cup and returned to the kitchen. He was pleased to see that Tony had done a good job with the clean up, and he rinsed his cup and left it in the sink before heading upstairs. Tony was sitting at his desk, reading, his back to the open door, when Gibbs knocked on the doorframe. Looking up to acknowledge his father, he put down his book and turned his chair to face him both nervously and expectantly. He had spent the past several minutes mentally thinking that his night was about to evolve into an even more truly unpleasant experience for him. He rubbed his hands down the material of his pants and smiled widely to appear calmer than he was.

"Hand me your phone, Son, and your car keys," Jethro ordered.

Tony looked as though he'd been slapped. The phone and the keys- no communication and no travel -would just destroy him.

"Dad, please, " he begged. "Please, I am sorry, but Dad, don't take the phone and the car. Going to Baltimore really wasn't that monumental a crime. Nothing bad happened. Dad, you can punish me another way, any other way. Please, Dad-"

Jethro's expression didn't alter.

"I am going to repeat myself just once, Anthony. Give me the phone, and the keys, now," was his father's response.

Pushing his bottom lip out into a pout, a response he'd adopted in babyhood when things were not going his way, Tony stood up and pulled the keys from his pocket, then retrieved the cell phone from his night table. Handing them to his father, he still hoped to sway the decision with the right words. "Dad, really, I mean the car and the phone are a little over the top for just a thirty mile excursion! No one else's parent would be this strict or come down this hard..."

Placing the items on Tony's dresser, Gibbs interrupted sharply. "Stop talking, Tony. The car and phone are a done deal, and since you still don't seem to understand the severity of the problem with your behaviour, let me give you another perspective and maybe you will!"

Tony paled and mentally kicked himself for provoking his father. That, obviously, was a stupid move. Rethinking his strategy, he tried to turn the tide of punishment, "May I say..."

"No," Jethro snapped. "What you may do is get yourself across that bed right now."

Tony knew it was futile to argue further. If he did, the punishment would just increase proportionately. He had almost seventeen years of experience with Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Unbuttoning his jeans, he pulled them, along with his boxers, down, leaving his rear end unprotected and exposed, then lowered himself gingerly longways across the foot of the bed. Hearing his dad unbuckle his belt, then pull it from the loops of his pants, Tony buried his head in his arms to keep himself from reaching back to protect his bottom from the oncoming onslaught. That was a proven guarantee for a longer spanking, which he'd learned firsthand some years ago. He was so tall now that his legs stuck over the side of the bed, but Tony knew it was better to have some part of the bedding in which to bury his face underneath him.

The first lick from Jethro's leather belt brought forth a yelp from him, and by time the fifth one made contact, Tony was sobbing loudly and squirming in response to the incredible agony brought forth from that strap. His rear end felt like it would combust, and the sting and throbbing from the belt covered every single inch of his exposed backside and the upper part of his thighs. When the seemingly interminable spanking actually concluded a couple of minutes later, Tony was in too much pain to even address his modesty by making a move to get up and arrange his clothing.

Jethro waited a few minutes until the sobs decreased to shuddery breaths and then asked quietly, "Now do you understand how big a deal this was to me?"

Tony nodded into the covers, but Jethro ordered, "I want a verbal response from you, Anthony- now." This was not the time to feel sorry for his son, and Gibbs steeled himself to remain heavy handed.

Not willing to risk additional punishment, Tony dried his eyes on the comforter below him. Sliding carefully off the bed, Tony stood and answered in a shaky voice as he pulled up his boxers and jeans and tucked in his shirt. "I understand, Dad. I really do. I am sorry, more sorry than I can say. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but not now. I promise I won't ever do anything like that again." Wiping at his eyes he looked carefully at his dad to see if Gibbs accepted the offering of remorse.

"You are grounded for the next four weeks- no phone, no car, no going anywhere. If, in that time, your grades slip one single point from what they have been this past week (Tony mentally smacked himself for his recent academic prowess)- and I do mean one single point- we will be back in this room and I will tear your bottom up again. Is that completely clear?"

Tony nodded his assent, then thought better of it and spoke up softly, "Yes sir, I understand. Dad, really, I am sorry, really sorry."

Jethro smiled finally and pulled Tony into an embrace. "Make sure that you understand, Son, that the rules are there to protect you. That's my job- to protect you. I am well aware that you're upset with the punishment, but you deserved every lick of that belt, and every day your butt stays home. I want you to have your mental, behavioural maturity match your physical maturity. I really don't want a repeat of today, ok?"

Tony felt his eyes begin to water again, and he licked his lips before he responded. "Ok, Dad, I can promise you that I don't either."

"Now, I just moved your bedtime down to eight for tonight, "Jethro continued, taking note of Tony's horrified expression, "and that leaves you fifteen minutes to get your pajamas on and for you to get into bed. An early bedtime tonight should give you some additional time to weigh whether my reaction was really worth the commission of your crime."

Tony interrupted quickly, "Dad, you already made an impression. Besides, I don't think that I'm going to be able to lie down comfortably to go to sleep."

Gibbs ignored the observation. "Leave your door open. I'll check back on you in a little while."

Backing out of the room, he retrieved the phone and keys from the dresser before he headed to the kitchen for a fresh cup of coffee. Truthfully, he thought it would be a long time before Tony tried something that ridiculous again. He had been rough on the boy, but he thought he'd seen real remorse on Tony's face.

Upstairs, lying on his stomach on his bed, with a bedtime that coincided with daylight outside and with a throbbing, hurting bottom, Tony drifted to sleep with the thought that he would make sure to never, ever leave Washington, DC again!


End file.
